The letter, sent by the US Special Representative for Afghanistan’s Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, offers a first real insight into the Biden government’s thinking about Afghanistan and seemed to reflect the frustration when Blinken wrote that he wanted Ghani to “understand the urgency of my tone” .
Despite ongoing negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban following a 2020 agreement between the United States and the militant group, violence in the country has steadily increased.
State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to comment on the veracity of the proposal or letter, which was first published on Sunday by the Afghan news service Tolo News. A US official and another diplomatic source familiar with the letter said it was authentic.
The situation in Afghanistan is thorny for Biden, who opposed an increase in the US presence there during the Obama administration and said he wants to lessen US involvement in the nearly 20-year conflict. Biden may face internal criticism if he does not proceed with the withdrawal, but at the same time, the country remains unstable, the Taliban has increased its control over wider areas of the country and the gains made by women and girls are at risk.
Price told reporters that Khalilzad was in Pakistan on Monday. He declined to give an idea of how the meetings in the region are going, nor did he say how Khalilzad’s meeting with the Taliban went, saying that he does not want to “prejudge” how the situation will develop.
Asked whether he believes the government of Afghanistan has been constructively involved in the peace process dialogue, Price said they are a “close and indispensable partner”, but also said “it is also important that we have a unified approach to the Afghan government’s interlocutors” .
“We are supporting and encouraging all sides to seize this moment. This includes Taliban negotiators and also Islamic Republic negotiators,” he said.
“Our interest in this has been our interest everywhere and it was not, it is not just this government, it was not just the last one, it was two governments before that, to find a way to end the violence, and to find a political agreement, reach a political settlement that is not fleeting, but that is actually durable and is just as durable, “he said at a news conference on Monday.
Khalilizad was named the main US negotiator with the Taliban during the Trump administration, and Blinken’s letter made it clear that Biden’s team entrusted Khalilzad to continue to play a leading role in the negotiations.
“I asked Ambassador Khalilzad, whose vital work President Biden and I asked him to continue to prepare and share with you, as well as with Taliban leaders, written proposals aimed at speeding up discussions on a negotiated agreement and ceasefire. “wrote Blinken.
Price also said on Monday that “it is absolutely true that the United States sought ideas to advance the prospects for peace, the prospects of galvanizing a lasting peace and again a lasting peace that must be led by Afghans.”
“So it is certainly not that we are trying to be prescriptive. We are trying to support and doing everything we can to support the parties, doing everything we can to bring our international allies, to bring our international partners, to bring others in the region, together to leave of course we all have an interest in Afghanistan’s future security, stability, ensuring the durability of the gains, including the important gains for women and girls that have been achieved in recent years. Afghans, and we are there to support you, “he said.